A while ago I came across an MP3 recording called “The Strangest Secret In The World”, by a man called Earl Nightingale. I didn’t know who he was, but the title was intriguing enough to get me interested.

I listened to it, and it was probably the best motivational piece I ever heard. As the name implies it has some resemblances with the concepts explained in “The Secret”, but I found it to be much more practical and down to earth.

Here is a quote from the transcript:

We live today in a golden age. This is an era that humanity has looked forward to, dreamed of, and worked toward for thousands of years. But since it is here we pretty well take it for granted. We are fortunate to live in the richest era that ever existed on the face of the earth. A land of abundant opportunity for everyone. But do you know what happens?

Lets take 100 individuals who start even at the age of 25.
Do you have any idea what will happen to those men and women by the time they are 65?

These 100 people, who all stat even at the age of 25, all believe they’re going to be successful. If you ask any one of them if they want to be a success they would tell you they did. You would notice that they are eager toward life, there is a certain sparkle in their eye, an erectness to their carriage. Life seems like a pretty interesting adventure to them.

But by the time they are 65, only one will be rich,
four will be financially independent,
41 will still be working,
and 54 will be broke – depending on others for life’s necessities.

Now think a moment: Out of the 100, only five make the grade!

Why do so many fail?

If you are curious to know why, well, just listen to the recording (it’s 30 minutes long or so). Here’s a page which has both the recording and the transcript (I highly recommend listening to the audio if you can though).